Fig. 1 (a) Architecture of the optofluidic microscope (OFM); set of three arrows: illumination; single arrow: flow direction. (b) Photograph of the OFM prototype compared with a U.S. quarter. The actual nanoaperture array is 600 µm long. (c) The top view of the OFM; denotes the isolated aperture; denotes the corresponding aperture, as explained in the text. (d) Photograph of the orientation of the aperture array with respect to the channel. (e) Experimental scheme for the OFM prototype. (f) Transmission time traces from aperture and associated with the transition of a C. elegans.

DC artist, programmer, and Dorkbot DC co-overlord Alberto Gaitán tells MAKE:

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published research inspired by eye floaters in "Lensless high-resolution on-chip optofluidic microscopes for Caenorhabditis elegans and cell imaging" by CalTech's Xiquan Cui, Lap Man Lee, et al. And as if cheap (~$10), portable, on-chip, lensless, hi-res microscopy for developing countries' infectious disease management wasn't promising enough, it also holds promise for backyard microscopists and mobile-device-mounted passive sensorwebs for biohazard detection. No telling what cool hacks await if it becomes available through Digikey!

Lensless high-resolution on-chip optofluidic microscopes for Caenorhabditis elegans and cell imaging
New Micro-Microscope Is Portable And Cheap [NPR piece on the technology]

The Buckminster Fuller Institute has an annual Buckminster Fuller Challenge, a $100,000 prize for "comprehensive solutions that radically advance human well-being and ecosystem health." The 2008 prize was awarded in June, in NYC. Check out their Challenge webpage for a list of submissions and winners. The 2009 Challenge will begin this fall.

Welcome to the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Idea Index [Thanks, Ron!]

More:

• The Buckminster Fuller challenge

A professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and his colleagues have developed a cheaper way to perform medical imaging using a cellular phone.

Boris Rubinsky's team has developed a portable medical scanner that can be plugged into a cellular phone, which transmits raw ultrasound or X-ray scanning data to a remote computer processor. The computer then converts the data to images and relays these back for viewing on the cell phone screen.

More:
Engineers harness cell phone technology for use in medical imaging & video.

Last week the 3rd year Industrial Design students at Victoria University presented the prototypes of the 3D printers they had designed. The challenge was to design and make a “green” 3D printer in 4 weeks with a limited budget. The students innovative thinking looked at ways to make use of waste material and repurpose it into new objects. ‘Stack’ used the waste paper from generated by a bank and a ’steampunk’ sewing machine to create layered forms based on an interpretation of the banks statistical data.

What a 3D Printer can't do...

Fabaroni: a homemade 3D printer.

The Evil Mad Scientist 3D Printer Project.

Make - Volume 14 - Three-Dimensional Printing Methods...

Sci-Fi objects and more made with a Spectrum Z510 3D printer ...


3D Printer made from a Glue Gun and Meccanno.

Garmin introduces a completely redesigned GPS dog tracking collar for use with the Astro GPS Dog Tracking System. The new collar is more rugged and its antennas are positioned differently for optimal tracking.

"The new DC 30 collar is designed to stand up to the torturous abuse of hunting dogs. Whether it's hounds crashing through thick and swampy woods, or bird dogs bounding through dense CRP fields, the DC 30 is made to take the beating that working dogs dish out daily," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "And the new configuration also makes mounting the collar a cinch -- while improving reception."

The DC 30 collar's main housing is weighted to sit below the dog's neck, while a small, low-profile GPS antenna is integrated into the collar strap and positioned on top of the dog's neck, providing a clear view of satellites with minimal rotation. The transmitter antenna originates from the lower housing, and has been redesigned for more flexibility and ruggedness. No counterbalance or harness is needed. The weight for the transmitter plus antenna is 4.1 ounces, and the entire DC 30 weighs just 8.7 ounces.

Sea snakes live in water, and even terrestrial snakes sometimes show swimming on water surface. In fact, the mechanism of snakes' propulsion is almost same both in water and on ground. An amphibious snake-like robot ACM-R5 takes advantage of this fact. It can operate both on ground and in water undulating its long body.

The joint of ACM-R5 consists of an universal joint and bellows. It was developed on the basis of the previous model HELIX, which was designed for research of spirochete-like helical swimming. An universal joint plays a role of bones, and bellows do a role of an integument. ACM-R5 can form a smooth shape due to this joint structure, and it is important for effective locomotion. To be precise, the universal joint has one passive twist joint at the intersection point of two bending axis to prevent mechanical interference with bellows.

ACM-R5 is equipped with paddles and passive wheels around the body. To generate propulsive force by undulation, the robot need a resistance property as it glides freely in tangential direction but cannot in normal direction. Due to the paddles and passive wheels, ACM-R5 obtains that character both in water and on ground.

The control system of ACM-R5 is an advanced one. Each joint unit has CPU, battery, motors, so they can operate independently. Through communication lines each unit exchanges signals and automatically recognizes its number from the head, and how many units join the system. Thanks to this system operators can remove, add, and exchange units freely and they can operate ACM-R5 flexibly according to situations.

In the last few years Rapid Prototyping(RP) has become more automated and much cheaper. Machines suitable for offices and academic environments have appeared on the market and have been christened 3D Printers. A range of different RP technologies exist and two companies have come to dominate the market, Stratasys & ZCorp. A quality 3D printer from either of these two will cost in the order of £30,000. Each has its advantages but to me the color capabilities of the ZCorp 510 makes this easily the most desirable machine. It is the machine currently used by the majority of the top UK 3D print bureaus. Also Bristol Fine Print Research have a couple of ZCorp machines. If you had a larger budget (£100,000+) then you could look to go to the high end Rapid Prototyping machines again from Stratasys which can build to a much larger size and precision and also use a bigger variety of build mediums. There are also some cheap and cheerful approaches you could take with a budget of a few thousand pounds.

Adrian (left) and Vik (right) with a parent RepRap machine, made on a conventional rapid prototyper, and the first complete working child RepRap machine, made by the RepRap on the left. The child machine made its first successful grandchild part at 14:00 hours UTC on 29 May 2008 at Bath University in the UK, a few minutes after it was assembled.

Related:

Make - Volume 10 - Wealth Without Money (Page 38).

BBtv looks at some of the wearable tech at the Second Skin fashion show, held at the San Francisco Exploratorium.

Wearable Tech fashion show: Second Skin

Elf ears in 5 minutes.

HOW-TO - Apply elf ears.

Keeps out unwanted cats by using your cat's existing microchip number without the need for a collar. Automatically detects light levels and can keep your cat in at night. Designed by a vet.

It uses the same parts that a Segway uses but just doubled, it can haul up to 400 lbs. The engineer was going to load the firmware on for demos later, but I took some video of video they had on a screen, it's creepy cool for sure.

This is very interesting, there's already a coffee shop that does this too!

Identigene's DNA Paternity Test Collection Kit is now available for over-the-counter purchase at all Rite Aid drug stores throughout the U.S. with the exception of stores in New York state. The Identigene DNA Paternity Test Collection Kit was the first DNA test ever sold in retail stores when it was offered on a trial basis beginning November 2007 in California, Washington and Oregon. Demand has been very strong, store sales are brisk and Identigene has been inundated with questions regarding the product's availability.

Identigene offers a full range of DNA testing services including tests used to determine paternity, siblingship and other familial relationships, as well as DNA tests for purposes of immigration, child custody, settling estates and other family-related situations.

Related:

Boy or girl? A DNA test sold over the web can tell you...

News from the future: Printing with DNA.

Home Molecular Genetics.

Coffee shop offers DNA testing.

HOW TO - Get your own DNA.

HOW TO - Extract DNA from anything living.

DIY DNA Explorer Kit.

Extracting DNA kit & DNA projects.

Kitchen Counter DNA Lab. Extract, purify, and experiment with the blueprint of life. MAKE 07 - page 59. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition or get MAKE 07 @ the Maker store.

The makers of World of Warcraft are locked in a legal battle with a firm that has produced a tool to automate many actions in the virtual world. Blizzard is suing Michael Donnelly, the creator of the MMO Glider program, which performs key tasks in the game automatically, such as fighting. Both sides have submitted legal summaries to a court in Arizona.

Mr Donnelly said the first time had had been aware of potential legal action over his program was when a lawyer from Vivendi games, which publishes Warcraft, and an "unnamed private investigator" appeared at his home.

Blizzard has said the tool infringes copyright because it copies the game into RAM in order to avoid detection by anti-cheat software.

Related:

The Future of Credit Cards - Earning virtual currency for spending in the real world & other world bridging.

That powder is a substance made from pig bladders called extracellular matrix. It is a mix of protein and connective tissue surgeons often use to repair tendons and it holds some of the secrets behind the emerging new science of regenerative medicine.

"It tells the body, start that process of tissue regrowth," said Badylak.

Badlayk is one of the many scientists who now believe every tissue in the body has cells which are capable of regeneration. All scientists have to do is find enough of those cells and "direct" them to grow.

Related:
Dean Kamen's "Luke Arm" prosthesis readies for clinical trials - Link.

From the pages of MAKE:

• Dean Kamen: The Dean of Engineering - Link.
• Volume 04 - Maker: Dean Kamen (Page 32) - Link.
• More from Dean Kamen - Link.
• MAKE Volume 04: Music and Kits for the Holidays. Cool holiday kit reviews, build a cigar box guitar, circuit bending, high-speed flash photography, coffee hacks, and lots of DIY music projects. Link & Get it at the Maker Store.

The open biohacking kit project contains information on important protocols in genetic engineering, stem cell research, microbiology and other fields of related interest. Additionally, the archive file -- ready for immediate distribution and diffusion -- contains numerous articles and designs for cheap DIY hardware such as incubators, centrifuges, oligonucleotide machines, microarray chip schematics, and so on. An integral part of the entire package is a cached copy of the BioBrick Foundation and synbio websites, such as OpenWetWare and the Parts Registry -- some may know about these groups from the International Genetically Engineered Machine competitions. Short introductory files are also being included regarding methods of artificial gene synthesis, using online bioinformatics databases, transfections, running ecoli farms, synthetic biology (synbio), ES cell harvesting procedures, quick "where to buy" guides, and one-page documents introducing newbies into the arts.

Most boats do not have legs. But a jack-up barge has six, protruding high into the air when the ship is in transit.

Extending to a length of 48m from the bottom of the ship, and penetrating up to 5m into the sea bed, the "legs" of these ships provide a stable "ground" in a place where there is only roiling water.

As the legs push down, the ship is lifted above the waves. Purpose-built at a Chinese shipyard, the £60m jack-up barge MPIO Resolution is an extraordinary piece of engineering in itself.

Movie characters from the Terminator to the Bionic Woman use bionic eyes to zoom in on far-off scenes, have useful facts pop into their field of view, or create virtual crosshairs. Off the screen, virtual displays have been proposed for more practical purposes -- visual aids to help vision-impaired people, holographic driving control panels and even as a way to surf the Web on the go.

The device to make this happen may be familiar. Engineers at the University of Washington have for the first time used manufacturing techniques at microscopic scales to combine a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights.

First, I love Make! I saw your Christmas wish (a Spectrum Z510 3D printer) and smiled. I had the job/privilege to work with one of these at a previous job. I am an AutoCad and MicroStation drafter and the company used it to rapid prototype parts for bath accessories. I named or Z510 "Gwyneth" because, like Ms. Paltrow, the results of her work were visually stunning, but she's kind of high maintenance. :-D I don't suppose I have to tell you about the costs of the materials, but I will say that I felt, after using and cleaning one for 2 years, that there was some room for design improvements in the areas of maintenance and overall robustness of the device. Please don't get me wrong - if I win the lottery tomorrow, I'm buying one of these right away!

Whenever we had to reset the system or replace the print heads, we would run a test file through. My boss at the time, a science fiction fan like me and a general all around cool guy, let me run some .stl files of my own as tests.

One of the objects is a "metatron" by Bathsheba Grossman. The red polyhedral sphere is the work of George Hart (http://www.georgehart.com/rp/rp.html) and is actually 7(!) nesting spheres, I assigned a different color to each one. I hope one day to print that one out of plastic. When you take an object out of the "build tray", you place it in a dust cabinet and blow off ant excess powder with a needle tipped airbrush. Then you CAREFULLY "infiltrate" it with cyanoacrylate. I did this by dipping one of those little red coffee stirrers you find in office kitchenettes, and applying it one drop at a time. Having a touch of OCD helps this procedure. ;-) We used Loctite 408, as it was less expensive than buying replacements from ZCorp. MicroMark sells little paint/glue brushes that are small plastic handles with fuzzy flocking on one end. The Serenity is from a poly mesh sent to me by Sean Kennedy, aka Treybor in the 3d computer modeling community. I don't recall where I got the Hawk Mark IX mesh from. The Z510 can print from vrml models. None of these are painted; the Z510 prints in color. Good joke: the software comes with a jpg of the IniTech (Office Space) logo! Note the logo on the command cabin of the Hawk Mark IX. The Lego gears I designed in AutoCad 2002. The yellow one is a replica of a 40-tooth Lego Technic gear, the largest they make. The others are 56 & 96-tooth, I designed for use as parts in an all-Lego clock.

THE FABRIKATOR WAS UGLY, noisy, a fire hazard, and it smelled. Borislav got it for the kids in the neighborhood. One snowy morning, in his work gloves, long coat, and fur hat, he loudly power-sawed through the wall of his kiosk. He duct-taped and stapled the fabrikator into place. The neighborhood kids caught on instantly. His new venture was a big hit. The fabrikator made little plastic toys from 3-D computer models. After a week, the fab's dirt-cheap toys literally turned into dirt. The fabbed toys just crumbled away, into a waxy, non-toxic substance that the smaller kids tended to chew. Borislav had naturally figured that the brief lifetime of these toys might discourage the kids from buying them. This just wasn't so. This wasn't a bug: this was a feature. Every day after school, an eager gang of kids clustered around Borislav's green kiosk. They slapped down their tinny pocket change with mittened hands. Then they exulted, quarreled, and sometimes even punched each other over the shining fab-cards. The happy kid would stick the fab-card (adorned with some glossily fraudulent pic of the toy) into the fabrikator's slot. After a hot, deeply exciting moment of hissing, spraying, and stinking, the fab would burp up a freshly minted dinosaur, baby doll, or toy fireman.

This CookTek "Incogneeto" cook top was displayed at NAFM in late 2007. It's capable of heating to 190 deg F through any sort of counter top (granite, composite etc) without causing damage to the counter itself. Because of RFID technology, These units also do not require special markings to determine where the cook top is under the counter. There isn't much information available on the internet at the moment, the product has only been available to purchase for about a week.

A 2-bit language for engineering biology. Biological engineering does not have to be confined to the laboratories of high-end industry laboratories. Rather, it is desirable to foster a more open culture of biological technology. This talk is an effort to do so; it aims to equip you with basic practical knowledge of biological engineering.

Genetic engineering is now a thirty year old technology. For reference, over a similar period of time, modern computing machines went from exclusive objects used to design weapons of mass destruction, to the now ubiquitous panoply of personal computing devices that support mass communication and construction. Inspired by this and many other past examples of the overwhelmingly constructive uses of technology by individuals, we have been working over the past five years to develop new tools that will help to make biology easy to engineer. We have also been working to foster a constructive culture of future biological technologists, who can reliably and responsibly conceive, develop, and deliver biological technologies that solve local problems.

This talk will introduce current best practice in biological engineering, including an overview of how to order synthetic DNA and how to use and contribute standard biological parts to an open source collection of genetic functions. The talk will also discuss issues of human practice, including biological safety, biological security, ownership, sharing, and innovation in biotechnology, community organization, and perception across many different publics. My hope is that the conferees of 24C3 will help me to understand how to best enable an overwhelmingly constructive hacker culture for programming DNA.

Related:
Perkin Elmer PRISM 7700 Gene/DNA Sequence/Sequencer PCR (eBay) - Link.

More:
Additional talks from the CCC - Link.

My name is Alex and I've been following MAKE for the past year now and have really enjoyed everything the magazine and website have to offer. Today when my fiance and I were out running some errands in downtown Toronto we wandered into the Umbra Concept Store and after looking around for a few minutes I got really excited when I saw that they had a rapid prototyping machine right there in the store. I asked about it and it turns out that they have the Umbra designers come into the store to work on their designs while allowing customers to ask them questions. On the desk next to the machine there were a few samples that they had made with the printer. Unfortunately I only had time to snap a quick photo with my phone which I have attached. I thought you might find this interesting.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s new violin robot performs during a press unveiling in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007. Compared to a virtuoso, its rendition was a trifle stilted and, well, robotic. But Toyota's new robot plays a pretty solid "Pomp and Circumstance" on the violin. The 152-centimeter (five-foot)-tall all-white robot used its mechanical fingers to push the strings correctly and bowed with its other arm, coordinating the movements well.

Related:

Murata boy - bicycle riding robot - Link.

QRIO and AIBO, the memories (huge photo gallery) - Link.